


going for the gold (and your heart)

by ilovenutella99



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Olympics, F/M, Fluff, clarke hates bell but we all know that changes, figure skating, raven is a badass snowboarder, the olympics au we all want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 15:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13720944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovenutella99/pseuds/ilovenutella99
Summary: Clarke was well on her way to the Olympics until her partner suffered a season ending injury. And because of it, she's been forced to pair with her rival, Bellamy Blake. But, seeing as she would like to make it to the 2022 Olympics, she has to put up with him and his antics. Clarke just hopes they can make it through without killing each other.





	going for the gold (and your heart)

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello hello i am back! i also wrote this in three days on accident and it might be riddled with errors, but you know i did my best. the olympics have basically inspired me to no end to write this, so here's the figure skating bellarke that i had to write!! this is also incredible cheesy buuuuttt i hope you enjoy!!! tumblr is clxrkeblxke so come chat with me!!  
> ps i also know NOTHING about figure skating so dont come for me i did my best but if i did do something horrifically wrong please let me know!!

“I don’t know why you decided he was the one you wanted,” Clarke mutters as she laces up her skates to get back on the ice. She’s already been training for hours and she’s thoroughly exhausted and Marcus decides he’s going to make her life _that_ much more difficult today.

“I decided because I’m the United States national coach and I know best,” Marcus says, shrugging his shoulders simply, pulling out his title. Clarke supposes she should listen to him, he did win three gold medals in the Olympics but this just seems so out of the blue, so random that she’s frustrated.

It’s not random that she needs a partner. Her original partner, Wells Jaha, had a horrific season-ending injury to his knee about six months ago. Since then, Clarke has been passed around from partner to partner, never really finding one that fits. And seeing as she’s one of the best pair skaters in the country, she needs a pair. They had already expected the Griffin/Jaha pair to end up at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, but then everything was derailed. She’s going to do what she can to end up there.

That’s where _he_ comes in. Bellamy Blake. He and his younger sister Octavia Blake were America’s favorite siblings until Octavia abruptly ended her skating career. It was right after the Pyeongchang Olympics when they placed third overall and earned a bronze medal, so it was bit of a shock that she ended it. And like Clarke, Bellamy has been bounced around for much of the past four years, looking for a partner that he meshed with.

She has to admit that Marcus makes some sort of sense. It would hopefully work really well and they would have a pretty good shot at the podium come 2022. But he’s just so _awful_.

The two had met at various competitions in the last several years, and they never have gotten along. Always spitting insults and sharp words at each other. Even with Wells trying to contain her, Clarke was like a fire and could just never back down from Bellamy. He even gifted her with the ironic nickname _Princess_ , as she grew up with a very large amount of wealth and never had difficulty getting the training she needed.

Clarke’s parents were American’s Golden Pair, winning three Gold medals in the Pair’s Competition, three Olympics in a row. Because of that, they were incredible famous and incredibly wealthy. And when Clarke was born, it was expected that she would be the same way. And so ever since the Griffin duo, there’s been a drought in the United States medals in Pairs Figure Skating. She’s here to break that.

But all goes back to damn Bellamy Blake. She can’t do this without him, but she’s not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. He’s rude, he’s arrogant, and all around an ass.

She’s about to say something to Marcus about how he’s going to be obnoxious when he comes in and Clarke has to stop and stare. Tall and muscular, Bellamy has the look of a figure skater. And, she hates to admit it, but he’s handsome. His head of unruly curls is the only thing that makes him look younger than he really is. At twenty-eight, he’ll be in the median for competitors at the Olympics. Clarke catches herself thinking that if they do well they could go for 2026 and has to stop herself. There’s no way it’s going to work. They’re way too different and their style of skating is different.

Clarke watches as Bellamy strides up and shakes Marcus’ hand, thanking him immensely for the opportunity to be here. She has to resist rolling her eyes. They’re only doing this to make sure the team has an exceptional pair to compete with. And then, he sets his eyes on her and guess what he does? He _smirks_. “Hey, Princess.”

She tries to not let it bother her, but it does. Instead of making some snide remark Clarke simply says, “let’s get to work.”

“Gotta put on my skates first, Princess.” Now she does roll her eyes and slides onto the ice, taking a couple laps to warm herself up and to keep her muscles loose from her earlier workout. She cracks her back as Bellamy slides onto the ice next to her. They do a couple of laps in silence and she notices that their strides start to match up. It usually takes a bit of time to find the groove of a new partner, but this is nearly effortless. She has to stop herself from feeling too elated about it. She still hates him. “You know,” Bellamy grunts when he pulls up a pace behind her. “I’m not too happy about this either.”

“We’re doing this to get to the Olympics, and that’s it.”

“Fine by me.” Clarke waits as Bellamy places a hand on her hip and the other finds her outstretched hand.

They start to move in a simple sequence, falling in pace together. “You’re going to have to use my name eventually.”

Bellamy scoffs as they do a quick step sequence, “I don’t have to do anything.” Clarke can’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. “If it’s not obvious, you were not my first choice.”

The blonde snorts as they hit their double loops, nearly perfectly. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

Marcus yells at them to shut up and skate and Clarke clamps her mouth shut as they continue. She’s just gotta get through today.

But, by the end of practice, it’s clear. She and Bellamy Blake are going to be partners for the near future.

* * *

 

They work together for six months before they have another explosive argument. Obviously, they’ve had little skirmishes here and there, but nothing like this.

Bellamy is late for practice. And when Clarke says late, she means it’s been an hour and there hasn’t been a sign of him.

 She’s continuing to stay on the ice to keep her muscles loose, skating around and practicing a few of her mastered jumps. Harper pulls up next to her and comes to a stop, looking around. “You think he’s bailing?”

Clarke shakes her head and shrugs. “Nationals are in five months. Why would he bail now?” Clarke can’t help thinking that if he doesn’t show, she won’t be able to qualify for anything. She wouldn’t even be able to compete in the singles competition. “Doesn’t matter,” Clarke mutters, shaking her head, “I’ll figure something out.”

Clarke skates around for at least ten more minutes, silently fuming as a figure runs in. “About damn time,” she yells, not even bothering to look over her shoulder. Anger fills her system as she takes another lap, “you know, I can’t be in the pairs competition if my pair decides he’s not going to show up!”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Bellamy shouts back and Clarke rolls her eyes angrily, skidding to a stop.

“Only an hour late. Do you have an excuse?” Bellamy fumbles on his words for several seconds and Clarke throws her hands up. “Absolutely ridiculous. Unacceptable, actually. Do you have any idea how much time you just wasted? How much of my time, of Marcus’ time that you just wasted?”

“I was asleep,” Bellamy finally tells her and Clarke nearly goes ballistic.

“You were _asleep_? What do you _mean_ you were asleep! You didn’t connect the dots that we had practice today?”

“I’m sorry,” he hisses, and it doesn’t feel like an apology at all. “I don’t have maids waiting to wake me up every day, to make my breakfast, and to send me on my way!”

Clarke spins to a stop, shaking anger coursing through her. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” he bites and Clarke can barely think she’s so furious.

“I’m sorry,” she spits out, “but I don’t have any of that. I wake up on my own, make my own damn breakfast, and go on my way without anyone’s help!”

Bellamy shakes his head, “your parents probably made sure you’d never have to do any of that.”

“You are the most despicable and disrespectful person I have ever met.” He feigns hurt and finally gets on the ice.

“Yeah? Glad we feel the same way about each other then,” he barks. Clarke clenches her jaw and bites her cheek. “Let’s go, since I’ve kept you waiting.”

She should have known it was a bad idea to practice after their explosion; skating when angry is either a blessing or a curse. Things either go very well, or very badly.

Bellamy throws her a bit too hard in their throw triple loop and Clarke goes flying backwards towards the wall before crashing, crumpling. She hits the wall with an _oof_ and it takes her a few seconds to figure out what happened. She hears a loud “ _fuck!_ ” and then Bellamy’s in front of her, Marcus hot on his heels.

“Clarke,” Bellamy says, pulling her face into his hands, “Clarke are you okay?”

“Fine,” she forces out and then Marcus is there.

“Give her some air,” Marcus says quickly and Clarke blinks a few times and then nods and leans on Marcus to stand up, and rests on the wall. “What happened?”

Bellamy runs a hand through his hair, looking exceptionally guilty. “My fault. I was late and she was upset. I said some things I shouldn’t have and it pissed both of us off. I threw too hard.”

Marcus turns angrily and then takes a breath. He thinks for a moment and then, “I’m calling it for the day. You two,” he glares between Clarke and Bellamy, “need to figure your shit out. Get it figured out and this won’t happen again. You cannot keep fighting like this. Most of the time this ends up with one of you nearly getting hurt. And I’m sick of it. So _figure it out_.”

Bellamy nods and hangs his head and Clarke nods too, the feeling of getting the wind knocked out of her finally disappearing. She coughs a couple times and looks at Bellamy as Marcus makes his way off of the ice, muttering angrily to himself. “I’m sorry,” he instantly says. “I shouldn’t have thrown you that hard.” Clarke swallows and finally pushes herself off of the wall. “Clarke, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have— _fuck_ , listen.” She pulls to a stop and looks at him. “I was upset and angry and I let my emotions get the better of me. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay.” She says, continuing to stare.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know,” Clarke starts, pushing some hair behind her ear. “You can’t do that again. I get that we were pissing each other off but it can’t happen again.”

“I know,” Bellamy says sincerely, “it won’t. I swear.” Clarke nods. “Fuck, let me—let me buy you a drink.”

“What?”

* * *

 

Clarke doesn’t know why she agrees to it, but she does, so now she’s sitting in some hole-in-the-wall bar in the middle of Boston. Clarke opens Instagram and finds that USFS has already announced who will be competing in Nationals for spots at the Olympics. More interviews, more publicity, more speculation. There’s always speculation on her and whoever her partner is. With Wells, and now with Bellamy. She’s used to this by now but it isn’t her favorite part of the job. Clarke sighs and ignores the message from her mother. She’ll deal with that later.

Bellamy slides into the booth across from her and passes her a beer. She nods her thanks and takes a sip, ignoring a second message from her mother.

They’re painfully quiet for several minutes and Clarke tries to not look at him. She hasn’t been that angry at someone in years. Hasn’t yelled like that in years.

“Look,” Bellamy finally speaks up, and her eyes swing to his, “I know I’m a dick. I’ve been told plenty of times,” Clarke can’t help but snort, “but you have to understand that we are from very different worlds.”

She makes a face. “Figure skating isn’t a very big world.”

“You were skating before you could even walk because of your parents. O and I learned to skate on a frozen pond, and that was only in the winter. We could barely afford to get into an ice rink more than three days a week.”

“And I understand that,” Clarke says, taking another sip of her beer, “but you do not have to yell at me about the privilege I had, most of which I didn’t ask for. I didn’t even like skating until eight years ago, whereas you and your sister have always loved it.”

His brows nearly shoot off his forehead and he prompts her to continue and she does, “before my dad died it was just something I did because my parents did it. My mom always told me I was destined to be in the Olympics, to follow in her parents footsteps. My dad always told me that if I wanted to be in the Olympics, I’d do it. I was really close to quitting, and then my dad died,” Clarke pauses and swirls her bottle around for a moment. “This was the only thing that I had to remind me of him, so I stayed in it. I’m glad I did, but it hasn’t been shits and giggles this whole time.”

“I remember the news that day,” he says quietly, “the day of the accident.” Clarke nods because she does too. How could she forget? She was fifteen, waiting at the rink for her father to come pick her up and he never got to. Killed on impact in a car accident caused by her mother. “I’m sorry.”

Clarke nods again and takes another drink from her bottle. “It sucked. I didn’t really know what happened for the longest time because no one would tell me. And then I overheard my mom talking to Marcus about five years ago and I found out that she was driving when it happened.”

Bellamy nods. “I’m sorry.”

“We don’t really have the best relationship. We’re working on it but it’s difficult.”

Bellamy makes a noise in the back of his throat. “I know how that feels.” Now Clarke has to raise a brow. “My mom and I had always gone back and forth about a lot of things until she died. I never knew my father and Octavia never knew hers—”

“You don’t have the same father?” Clarke can’t help but blurting but then she feels shame. “Sorry. It’s not my business.”

He raises his hands in understanding. “I get it a lot, but no, we don’t. Mine ran off after I was born and O’s was never there. We never had a lot of money and my mom had to make due and do a lot of things to keep us afloat.” Clarke nods in understanding. “And she got pregnant with O. After I won my first juniors competition we were able to get a little more money as my name got out there. And then my mom died, and I had to do a lot to keep Octavia with me. They were ready to put her in the system because she was still under 18, and I had to legally adopt her as a dependent.”

Clarke raises a brow. “I didn’t know that.”

“We kept it under wraps for a really long time. The USFS didn’t want it out there. It only came out a year ago. You and I were not exactly on the best of terms a year ago, and I doubt you paid any attention to whatever news was being reported about me.” Clarke snorts and he grins a bit. “But you and I aren’t so different. Besides the fact that you grew up skating on Olympic ice and I grew up sneaking onto a frozen pond in the winter.”

Clarke has to smile and they clink their bottles together. “I’m sorry for yelling.”

Bellamy shrugs. “It’s good. I was very late, I definitely deserved it. I’m sorry for yelling back.” Clarke tips her head into a nod. “Look. I know we really didn’t get off on the right foot all of those years ago,” Clarke rolls her eyes, “but I’m willing to go all in on this if you are. I want to make the most of it.”

“I dunno, you really are a dick sometimes,” he kicks her under the table lightly and she grins. “But I’m in. You can’t be late.”

He shakes his head. “Swear I won’t.”

“You can’t call me Princess.”

Now, he makes a face. “Oh, come on. Can’t we keep that one thing? To prove that we still hate each other?” Clarke laughs again, and they go back to drinking from their bottles.

* * *

 

In the months leading up to Nationals, Clarke grows fond of Bellamy. She doesn’t want to say that she’s attracted to him—because that would be _so_ unprofessional—but it’s not like she can help it. She’s only human. He’s tall and he’s strong and she wants to run her fingers through his curls and never stop. He’s also kind and funny, nothing like the man she thought he was. She nearly curses herself for thinking anything good about him because he’s still a _huge dick_.

Clarke spends time with him outside of the rink. Time with Bellamy means time with his sister. Octavia is intense on the outside, but a softie on the inside. She thinks that both of the Blake siblings are that way. She finds out that the reason Octavia stopped skating was because she got pregnant by her boyfriend, now fiancé, Lincoln. She later miscarried, but couldn’t bring herself to get back on the ice.

Clarke and Octavia strangely bond in the months leading to the competition. They laugh and they joke about girl things because they can, because they never got to as kids. More than once Clarke’s caught Bellamy staring at the two of them while they giggle and watch a movie. He always rolls his eyes and gives her a grin, and she can’t stop herself from giving one back.

They bond. Clarke figures out that they really are pretty similar in a lot of things. Obviously, they still have their moments where they yell and fight, even about the stupidest things. But, they always know that it’s okay. Ever since that night at the bar, they’ve been able to understand each other a little more each day. It’s like that with their skating. They’ve learned each other’s habits, their ques, even their pre-competition rituals. They’re a pair, and a strong one at that.

So when they win Nationals, no one is surprised. Clarke is overcome with emotion when she realizes that she’s going to the Olympics. She can barely contain her excitement and nearly slips up and kisses Bellamy, but she doesn’t. That’s one thing she wants but can never have.

So, at the beginning of February, they’ll hop on a place with the rest of the USA Figure Skating Team and head to Beijing. 

* * *

 

Because the Olympic committee wants to avoid serious cases of jet lag, they all get flown out a week in advance.

The plane ride to Beijing is long and uncomfortable and crowded, but she’s thrilled. They have to fly to California first, and then take off from there to Beijing. In California, they end up leaving near one o’clock in the morning. Clarke settles in her seat between Harper and Bellamy and tries to stifle her yawn.

Bellamy raises a brow and gives her a soft smile, “you good?”

Clarke tips her head into a sleepy nod, “I’m okay. I’ve been on a plane all day and will be for the next twelve hours. I’m sleepy.”

Bellamy nods and then pats his shoulder. “C’mon. Get some sleep, Clarke.” Her brows furrow and he makes a face, “oh come on, don’t look so repulsed.”

Clarke huffs, “I don’t think you’re repulsing at all, Bellamy.” To prove her point, she rests her head against his arm, taking in a whiff of something that’s distinctly Bellamy with a mix of airport. She ignores the airport and takes a breath, her eyes fluttering shut. “You get some sleep, too.”

“I’ll try,” he whispers, “you first.” She doesn’t hesitate to drop off, waking uncomfortably every few hours but always finding a way to fall back asleep.

When Clarke finally comes to, she has a cheap blanket wrapped around her and Bellamy’s head has dropped onto hers. She blinks to clear the sleep from her eyes and then slowly pulls her head out from under Bellamy’s, trying to not wake him up. But, his eyes open blearily and he blinks tightly to wake up. “Sorry,” she whispers and he shrugs.

“You’re good,” his voice is deep and filled with drowsiness and Clarke wants to hear that voice over and over again. “I was already half awake. Where are we?” Clarke shrugs and reaches across him to pull up the screen on the airplane, unfortunately blinding both of them with light. “Jesus, Clarke.”

“Sorry,” she murmurs, inching it up to find that they’re still over ocean. “Ocean. What time is it?”

He pulls back his sleeve and checks his watch and sighs, “11:30. Still got a couple hours.”

Clarke groans, rubbing her face. “I’m tired of being on a plane.”

“Me too,” he agrees, resting his head against hers again, “only a few more hours.”

“Then jetlag.” Bellamy groans and nods. “My favorite part.”

They spend the next two hours alternating between playing cards and finding stuff on their phones to mess around with, but she’s so bored. She’s bored and her butt hurts and she wants to be there. She wants to be off the plane and in Beijing and on the ice and getting ready to compete.

Finally, _finally_ , the plane lands. It takes an incredibly long time to get their bags and for a split second Clarke is worried that her equipment didn’t make it to Beijing, but thankfully Bellamy finds her bag. Then there’s Customs, which is a nightmare all together. She had honestly figured that because they’re competing they would be able to get through faster, but that’s not the case. Even with United States merchandise covering her body, she’s still a regular citizen.

There are so many people coming into China for the Olympics that the airport is insane and filled to the brim. She’s frustrated, but Bellamy’s comforting presence behind her helps a little bit. He keeps his hand on her back to push her forward and keep her near him and their team, saying “so many people here and you’re so short. I don’t wanna lose you in here.” She rolls her eyes, but lets him proceed. Besides, she likes his hands.

And then once out of the airport they encounter press, and Marcus has to keep pushing forward to get to the cars to get to the Olympic Village. They can talk to the press once they’re where they need to be.

They’re finally put in their cars and they triple check to make sure all of their bags are in the cars before the group finally leaves the airport. Her excitement returns as she looks out the window at everything they’re passing. Buildings and trees and people everywhere and she can’t stop looking.

It takes about forty-five minutes, but then they pull up to the Olympic Village and she can’t stop staring. Incredible buildings, towering high and gleaming, are her home for the next two weeks. Clarke’s eyes don’t know where to settle, she wants to take in everything that she can. The group follows Marcus and the other skating coaches and committees into the buildings. They’re on the 9th floor of the second building, and the elevators take them up quickly. Two by two, they get dropped off into their rooms, and Clarke watches as Bellamy and Atom pile into a room together, dropping their bags at their feet. She knows that their equipment will be picked up in a couple hours and taken to the United States locker room at the rink.

Harper and Clarke are dropped off a few doors down, and they both instantly fall onto their beds in exhaustion. “We have to stay awake,” Harper mumbles, “or the jetlag will be even worse.”

“But I’m so tired,” Clarke whines, burying her face in the pillow. “Maybe if we just napped for a little bit. Just a little bit.”

Clarke waits for a response, but doesn’t get one because Harper has already fallen asleep.

* * *

 

Raven Reyes is a somewhat of a legend in the Winter Olympics. At the age of 17, she was the youngest snowboarder in history of the United States to win a Gold Medal for the Halfpipe in the Sochi 2014 Olympics. Before Pyeongchang, she blew out her knee completely and spent months rehabilitating it, but was still able to compete and earned Silver. And now in 2022, she’s looking to win again, to reclaim her title. Vengeance.

So when Raven appears in her room, dragging a disgruntled Bellamy by the wrist, she can’t help but feel a little surprised.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a new partner!” Raven says, her hands on her hips and Clarke can tell that this girl means business. She’s a little bit afraid of her.

“It’s been all over the news, Reyes.”

“I don’t watch the news.”

Bellamy gives Clarke a look of fake annoyance and she has to stifle her laugh, “if you did we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Raven then looks at Clarke, the same look of fake annoyance on her face. “He is the worst.”

“Oh, tell me about it,” Clarke agrees and Bellamy rolls his eyes. She pokes her tongue out at him and he gives her a goofy grin. Raven does not miss the interaction. “He’s been horrible to work with.”

Bellamy runs his hand through his hair and then crosses his arms over his chest, and Clarke can’t stop herself from looking at the mess of his hair. “You wouldn’t even be here without me, Princess.” Her cheeks go pink and he smirks. She busies herself with unpacking her stuff so she can avoid looking at him because she knows she won’t be able to stop staring at his disheveled appearance.

“I should have known you were going to end up here eventually,” Raven says, flopping onto Clarke’s bed like they’re old friends. “Your parents are legends.”

Clarke’s brows raise. “You literally won the Olympics when you were seventeen. If anyone’s the legend, you are.”

Raven grins. “Hell yeah I am,” Bellamy snorts, “what was that for?”

“You’re only a legend in snowboarding. Try skeleton.”

Raven immediately shakes her head, “anyone who does skeleton has a death wish. It’s fucking insane.”

“You have to be absolutely crazy to do it,” Clarke responds, bringing her bathroom bag to the cabinet.

“Maybe you should try it,” Bellamy calls lazily and she sticks her middle finger out at him with a smile.

“You two are gross, is this how all pairs are?”

Clarke shakes her head as she reenters the room, “no, we secretly hate each other. Have to put on the façade that we actually like being around each other.”

Bellamy throws a pillow at her head and she dissolves into giggles.

* * *

 

The next day Clarke waits anxiously for their turn to perform in the pairs’ part of the Team Event. Russia and Canada are slated to go after them and Clarke chews on the inside of her cheek nervously. Skates laced, blue outfit on, hair up. She’s ready to go. They’ve been training and practicing for three days off and on, and now it’s finally time.

Bellamy comes over as their names are announced and she gives him a smile. “Ready?”

“Ready if you are,” he tells her and she slide out together, loosening their muscles. Clarke prepares herself for the emotions she has to feel during this performance. Their short program is much more emotional and meaningful than their free skate, which they’ll get to perform later. That one is much more upbeat and exciting, and she’s ready to go on that one.

But, she has to get through this one first. Doesn’t help that they’re skating to “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, which is something that she’s avidly been trying to avoid, but even then it’s still kind of happening. It’s even more difficult when he looks like he does and he smiles like he does and talks to her like he does and treats her like he does.

Clarke shakes it off. It can’t get to her right now, especially not as they’re on the ice ready to go. Bellamy pulls up a beat behind her and places his hands on her waist. “Let’s do it,” he whispers and she has to repress her smile.

The first beat of the song starts and they’re off.

It’s a love song, and their skating tells a story. It’s slow, it’s romantic, and it’s sexy. It’s a damn miracle that Clarke has never jumped him after finishing this performance. Their side-by-side triples go almost perfectly, they’re a bit off on the synchronization, and then they’re skating across the ice together. Clarke pushes her body as much as it can go during their triple twist and she lands perfectly, her smile growing a bit as she connects her hand with Bellamy’s. The spiral is wonderful and then it’s the lift and she’s flying. Her finger links with the edge of her skate as Bellamy spins her around and Clarke has to concentrate to make sure she gets to where she needs to be for everything. On the way down, he spins her around his body, her legs straddling his hips. His arms wrap tightly around her before their throw. The last lutz—perfect. Bellamy pulls her back in as their step sequence ends, and her hands slide up his neck, just like they’ve practiced all of these times.

Clarke’s out of breath at the end, her face incredibly close to Bellamy’s. If she just inched up a little more…

But she doesn’t, because she remembers they’re on national television and she can’t do that. Instead, she gives him a smile and he gives her one back, kissing her on the cheek before pulling her into his chest for a tight hug.

She smiles broadly, bowing with Bellamy as they go. She’s thinking back to their routine and the only tiny slip up they had, but it won’t be enough to take a lot off. Neither of them fell, neither of them stumbled. It was just a tiny thing.

Clarke and Bellamy slide off of the ice quickly and are met by Marcus who gives them a nod and tight hugs. “It was good. Proud of you.” Quickly, they put their skate protectors on and walk over to the bullpen where their team waits. Harper gives Clarke a tight hug and Fox follows, telling her how amazing her triple spin looked. Clarke has to wipe a bead of sweat from her face as they wait for their scores. She knows that their technical score was pretty high, and now it just depends on what the composite score is. Her leg bounces as they sit.

78.21! They’ve pulled out the highest score of the day. Clarke laughs a bit and then nods. Good. They did good. They’re several points in front of Italy and Japan and that gives her a bit of space to breathe. And now they have to wait for Canada and Russia perform.

They’re pretty shocked when Canada pulls a score lower than theirs. There was one major trip, which caused a point deduction, which guarantees Bellamy and Clarke being in the top two.

The next several minutes pass with extreme anxiety coursing through Clarke’s veins. Russia’s Ontari and Roan are spot on, hitting everything excellently. Clarke tries not to think about how perfect their spins are, or how in sync everything is. Russia has always been exceptional in the Team Event and in Individual Events and this is proving that. They’re intense, and a bit scary, and Clarke has that feeling in the pit of her stomach.

And when she scores come up and they pulled an 82.45, she can’t say that she didn’t expect it. It doesn’t stop her from getting that burning feeling that she knows is associated with wanting to win. Clarke likes to be the best, and she knows that they can do it. Both of them.

Second place is still great for the Team Event. It pulls them ahead into a clear third place. If the rest of the team can do as well as Clarke knows they can, second place could be in their sights.

For now, she settles in and watches the team perform, knowing that in two days they’ll know for sure. The only thing standing in their way is the Russian team.

* * *

 

All two hundred and fifty three United States athletes stand in the staging area waiting for their turn to walk. Clarke is excited and she can’t sit still. They’ve got a ways to go before it’s their turn, but pictures are being taken left and right and reporters from the States are everywhere. Clarke can’t help but stay close to Bellamy. She tells herself it’s so she won’t get lost, but she knows that’s not only it. She likes his comforting presence. She’s lucky that the U.S. prepared a nice heavy coat, sweater, gloves and a hat or she’d be trying to leach all of Bellamy’s warmth from him, which surely would not go over well for her feelings.

Raven nearly tackles her in a hug and congratulates her on their second place win in the Pairs’ Competition of the Team Event. Clarke doesn’t think she’ll stop smiling about it ever.

She watches as Bellamy talks to two men about their age, and Raven pulls her over by the wrist. Clarke’s quickly introduced to Miller and Murphy, two of the hockey players looking to win a medal this year after the disappointing fourth place in Pyeonchang. Miller doesn’t say much, but Clarke likes him. When he does open his mouth, he’s absolutely hilarious. Murphy’s a dick, but Clarke thinks that they could get along once they got to know each other.

Harper swings by and pulls her across the staging area to meet more people. Clarke flashes an apologetic glance at Bellamy, but he only smiles. Clarke then meets Monty and Jasper, two of the team’s Alpine Skiing competitors. Clarke doesn’t know much about Alpine Skiing but she knows you have to be insane to do it. These two look the part. “I don’t know how you do it. Alpine skiing is metal.”

Jasper snorts. “You literally wear swords on your shoes.” Clarke laughs a bit and Raven appears and gives both Monty and Jasper hugs. “Good to see you, Reyes. You see the slopes yet?”

She nods. “They don’t look too bad. The halfpipe, as usual, will be much harder.”

“You’re not the one skiing at seventy-five miles per hour.” Raven gives another grin.

“I am flipping at least thirty feet in the air,” Raven points out and the two boys shrug and roll their eyes before turning back to Harper and chattering excitedly. Raven tips her head in another direction and Clarke follows, her brows raised in question.

 “What?” Clarke says and Raven smirks.

“What’s going on with you and Blake?”

Clarke stumbles on her feet and feels her face burn red, shaking her head quickly. It takes her a couple seconds to figure out how to respond.  “I—nothing. Nothing is going on. We’re partners.” Raven’s brow raises higher. “There is nothing going on between me and Bellamy.”

“Uh-huh.” Raven says, obviously very unconvinced. “Then why does he look at you like you hung the moon?”

Clarke feels her eyes go a bit wide and she shakes her head, attempting to laugh it off. “Because I did hang the moon.” Raven snorts. “There’s nothing going on.” Does he really look at her like that?

“I don’t believe it, but if you say so.” Raven finally says, and Clarke understands why she wouldn’t believe it. She tries not to think about it as they go back and find Bellamy and Miller, but it’s difficult. These feelings that she’s been harboring since before Nationals are finally starting to make an appearance but she can’t let that happen because it would distract her tremendously. It’s hard enough being in practice every day and hearing him talk, his hands at her waist, throwing her into the air. His smile when she lands, his kind words and giving heart. Fuck.

He gives her a smile when she reappears and she gives him one back. “We’re getting ready,” he tells her, “you ready?”

Clarke nods and ignores the look that Raven gives her. “I’m excited.”

“It’s one of the best parts,” Harper says from behind her. “It really is. I won’t ever forget my first one.”

Bellamy swings an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side quickly, ignoring the squeak she lets out. “It really is incredible. Take it all in.” Clarke smiles and she swear she feels him drop a kiss to the top of her head but she can’t think about it because then she’s walking.

She doesn’t think she’s ever going to stop looking. People everywhere, cheering and yelling and she sees her team, the United States appear on one of the many screens in the arena. She can’t help but fumble with her phone to take as many pictures as she can.

Raven whoops next to her and Clarke sees that she’s on a screen next to Raven and she can’t stop herself from waving, a huge smile dropping onto her face. She’s shining with happiness and her smile won’t drop, can’t drop. She sees the flag waving from in front of the pack and an immense feeling of pride floods her, keeping her waving and cheering and laughing along with the rest of her team.

When she ends up wedged between Bellamy and Raven in their seats, she finally notices just how cold it is. Her smile is frozen on her face, but she doesn’t care.

Bellamy nudges her to get her attention and gives her a bright smile. “You good?”

“I’m great,” she replies, “you?”

“Fantastic,” Clarke grins again and he returns it and they get ready for the rest of the show.

It’s a beautiful, wonderful depiction of the Olympic Games and how they started, beginning with a lesson on the history part of it. By the end of the program, there are people sliding around on the stage, spinning and dancing and Clarke is so happy. The stadium goes quiet for several minutes as a singer belts out a beautiful tune, and then it’s time. Clarke cranes her next and watches eagerly as the torch gets run in. It’s like the entire stadium is holding its breath.

She almost thinks that it takes too long to get the torch to where it goes because she just wants to see what happens. Each Games is different and after the performance she just saw she’s incredibly excited to see what happens.

When it does happen, Clarke doesn’t think she’ll ever forget it. The torch gets run through the stadium and erupts on a plane of ice, traveling around and across it, creating large, looping circles in it. It takes her a few seconds to realize that they have created the Olympic rings. And then—

The fire shoots upwards and lights the torch and she can’t help but cheering along with the rest of her team. Her face is numb, her toes are frozen, but her heart is full and warm and ready for the weeks to come.

* * *

 

Clarke watches intently as Harper performs for the singles part of the Team Competition. She’s performed beautifully on almost every single jump, even getting her hands up for her Lutz. Clarke doesn’t think she stopped cheering for minutes after.

Her leg bounces annoyingly and she can’t even bring herself to stop as she watches. She goes straight from her Lutz to a double spin, stumbling a bit landing the last one, but it’s okay. She landed. Harper finishes triumphantly a few moments later after a step circuit, hands in her air and Clarke can tell that she knows she did great. Her smile is wide even as she skates off of the ice.

Harper immediately collapses onto Clarke in a hug and Clarke is congratulating her on everything. Because she did do really well. The Russian skater currently has the highest score of the ladies’ singles section, but they all think that Harper could pass her. That would give Team USA a huge boost going into the Ice Dance portion of the competition, the final part of the competition.

They wait anxiously at their booth and Bellamy places a hand on her knee to keep her from shaking her leg. “She’s gonna be fine,” he murmurs and she nods, but he keeps his hand on her knee and she tries not to let it distract her. His thumb rubs gently on her knee. And then Harper’s numbers are on the screen and a 78.65! She’s passed the Russian and pulled into first and Clarke can’t stop shouting and waving their flag behind Harper. Harper can’t stop smiling and Clarke knows she’s earned it.

After this section of the competition, they’re in second and Canada’s still in first. They can pass them. It’d be up to Fox and Atom to pull ahead and Clarke thinks it’s risky to rely on them because Atom’s been having some serious problems on some of his jumps. She doesn’t let herself dwell on it and instead turns to Bellamy.

“We’re so close,” she mumbles and he nods, grinning. “So close.”

“We are. I think we can do it. We just can’t let Russia pass us again. They got us in ours.” Clarke scowls thinking of how Ontari and Roan passed them only by a few hundredths of a point. She’s still a little upset. “We’ll get them in our event,” Bellamy smirks, understanding her scowl, “we all know you like to be the best.” Clarke shoves him lightly but he grins, wrapping an arm around her for a hug.  They linger like that for a moment before the cameras are still directed at Team USA and they quickly let go. Clarke feels her face burning. Damn.

They sit anxiously as they watch the first three teams go. Italy falls at one point in their performance after preforming a side-by-side spin that doesn’t go as well as they had hoped. But it helps Fox and Atom more. It’s Fox’s first Olympics as well, so the two girls spent a lot of the first few days trying not to throw up from nerves.

Clarke watches the Russian Ice Dance team intently, looking for any mistakes or anything that could pull them ahead. They end up with an exceptionally amazing score and Clarke feels her lip start to bleed from chewing on it so much. Harper leans back and mutters under her breath, “Atom got his spins down, right?”

Clarke shrugs and makes a face, “we better hope so.”

Now Bellamy starts shaking his leg and Clarke raises a brow. “I picked up that habit from you,” he grumbles, “you have ruined me.”

Clarke snorts a bit and sets her hand on his knee to get him to stop. “I have not ruined you, I’ve made you a thousand times better,” she teases and he flashes her one of her favorite Bellamy smiles. Her stomach loops.

She can almost see the gears turning in his head as he works on the scores. “If Atom and Fox can beat Russia, then we’ve got second for sure. If they beat Canada and Canada falls to third then I think we can get gold. It’s a lot of if’s,” he finishes and Clarke nods. She doesn’t like thinking about if’s.

Her phone dings and she glances down to find an update from NBC Olympics. She snorts. “USA’s Raven Reyes has dropped the hammer and put down a 95.50 in Qualifiers for the Women’s Halfpipe. Are we even surprised?”

Bellamy laughs and looks at Clarke’s phone to read the update himself. “She’s gonna find a way to get a perfect score this year. Her vengeance run.”

Clarke starts to laugh but then Atom and Fox are back on the ice and her nerves are flooding back to her. Her leg shakes again as she intently watches them slide across the ice to begin their performance.

They beat the Russians. Only be two hundreds of a point, but they still beat the Russians. And then the Canadians beat them, which means…

* * *

 

Clarke waits impatiently for their turn on the Medal Podium. She’s never been this excited for something and her team jabbers around her, just as excited. They got a silver medal. A silver medal! She almost can’t believe it. This whole experience has been a dream.

Her team bounces around with excitement and Harper looks like she’s going to cry and Atom hasn’t stopped smiling since he stepped off of the ice. Bellamy can’t stop looking around at everything.

The Russian team gets their bronze medals and Clarke feels her excitement heighten. They all nearly jump onto the podium and Harper almost goes barreling off of it. Clarke can’t stop from laughing and holds onto her tightly. Their names are called and the crowd cheers and Clarke watches as Monroe and Dax receive their medals. And then she’s shaking someone’s hand and a medal’s going around her neck and she can’t stop looking at it. Clarke finally looks up to find Bellamy staring at her. “What?” She asks and he grins.

“Think we can get another one of these?” Clarke’s smile grows.

“I think we can. Do you?” He nods and then grins before clapping for the Canadians. They can do it, and they’re going to. 

* * *

 

Clarke keeps her headphones in tightly, warm up jacket on. They have two pairs in front of them, Canada and Germany, and she’s anxious. Her nerves, which usually don’t get to her, are suddenly coming back full force and she has to keep herself calm. Clarke know that as soon as she’s on the ice she’ll be fine. It’s just the build-up to the ice that get her. It’s her last run. The short program happened yesterday. They’re in second with the short program. The free skate could put them on top.

Clarke does her routine in her head, turning the ways she supposed to at each part of the song and she thinks she’s got it. They’ve got it.

And then, she sees her mother. Her eyes widen a bit, but Abby Griffin makes a beeline to her daughter. If Bellamy notices, he doesn’t say anything.

“Mom, what are you doing back here?” She holds up her official Team USA badge and Clarke nods a bit. “You’re not supposed to be in the staging area unless you’re a coach.”

“I was a coach,” Abby points out and Clarke reluctantly nods.

“Why are you back here?” Abby digs around in her pocket for something and Clarke can only gasp when she sees it. It’s her dad’s Olympic charm. “Where… what?”

Abby gives her daughter a smile. “Your father always said that if you chose to pursue this path and qualified for the Olympics, he was going to give you this before your Qualifying run. I couldn’t find you before the Short Pairs’, but I’m here now.” Clarke feels her throat closing up. “And then he died, and I hid it away for a very long time just in case you didn’t pursue this. But you’re here, and you’re about to go on. It was around his neck when he won his medals.”

Clarke is absolutely speechless. She had been looking for this stupid little charm for the past eight years so that she could wear it. “I know you’ve been looking for it. But your father had very specific instructions that you could have it at your first Olympics.” Clarke’s throat is completely closed up and she throws her arms around her mother in a hug and Abby doesn’t hesitate to hold her daughter. Clarke chokes back a sob. “No matter what happens, you’ll always be my Olympian.” The blonde chokes out a shaky laugh and sob, she isn’t really sure which one it is, but pulls away to find her mother smiling.

Clarke nods and Abby watches as her daughter attaches it around her neck. Once attached, Clarke takes a shaky breath before putting it under her costume’s neckline. “Your father would be so proud of you. No matter what happens.”

She nods again. “Thank you, Mom. It really means a lot. Really.” And in that moment, Clarke’s grudge against her mother eases up just enough to put a smile on Abby’s face. Abby pulls her in for another tight hug.

When she pulls away, it’s back to business, “chin up, arms in tight, don’t fall. You can do this.” Clarke laughs a bit and nods. Abby kisses her cheek before walking to Bellamy. He raises a brow at Clarke and she shrugs as he pulls his headphones out. “Chin up, arms in, don’t drop my daughter.”

Bellamy laughs and says, “wouldn’t dream of it, ma’am.” Clarke has to resist snorting at the interaction. Bellamy crosses the small space to Clarke and she laughs at his expression. “Your mom is intense.”

“Imagine her when she was competing.”

Bellamy snorts before looking at Clarke seriously and says, “you two okay?”

Clarke hesitates for a moment but then nods, following her mother’s path as she heads to her seat. “I think so. We’ve got some stuff to work on, but yeah.” Bellamy nods and follows her gaze and Clarke realizes with a start that Wells is here. So is Octavia. And the whole rest of their skating team. Harper has a sign of Clarke’s face and Monroe holds Bellamy’s face. Raven’s here! Clarke swears she said she had a press conference today to discuss her perfect score in the Halfpipe, but she was obviously wrong. A laugh escapes her and she looks up at Bellamy to find him just as shocked. “Did you know about this?”

He shakes his head, a smile gracing his features. “No, I didn’t.” They wave to their friends and Clarke can’t stop smiling.

Then they’re on deck and her nerves return quickly and she has to stop herself from chewing on her lip. They stand quietly for a moment and then Bellamy finally turns to her. “Hey,” she raises a brow, “we’re at the Olympics.” A giddy laugh escapes her.

“We’re at the Olympics,” she repeats, a smile growing.

“We’re at the fucking Olympics, Clarke.” She laughs and he pulls her toward him for a hug, his arms tightening around her. Hers clasp around his back tightly, getting him as close to her as she can. She wants his strength and his warmth and wants to give him some of her confidence. Clarke feels so confident that they can do this.

He pulls back a bit and she looks up at his hair and frowns. “Your hair looks awful when they gel it back like that.” He groans.

“I hate it when they do this,” he starts and Clarke starts to run her fingers through his hair, “what are you—Clarke—”

“I’m fixing it,” she responds simply, “so you won’t look like you just walked out of a carwash.” Bellamy snorts and his eyes close as her fingers work through his hair, fixing it so it doesn’t look as bad. His arms are still around her and he makes no notion to move them. “Okay. I think it’s good enough. They’ll still probably make fun of you, Raven especially.” He rolls his eyes and releases her quickly when they call their names.

Her eyes widen a bit and then Clarke nods, steeling herself for what’s about to happen. They slide on the ice easily, just like they did at their first practice together all those months ago. The pair spends a couple seconds making their way across the ice and Clarke feels Bellamy slide up next to her. His arm comes across her shoulder and hers across his back and they skate together. “You ready?” He asks and she nods confidently.

“I am. I’m glad it’s you, Bell.” His eyes shine and his smile is bright and Clarke feels herself smile when he presses a kiss to her head. Her heart swells.

They slide to the center together and assume their position that they’ve practiced for so long. Bellamy’s body close behind hers, her hands at her hips.

And then, they’re off.

This one, compared to their short program, is much more upbeat and filled with difficult moves that could cost them the medal. But she can’t think like that. She has to think like a winner. They are winners, and they’re going to be Gold Medalists after today.

It starts with a quad twist and Bellamy’s hands go exactly where they need to be, as usual. She lands perfectly, and her smile grows even larger as they continue through their performance. Her moves are sassy and teasing and the audience is eating it up. Her Lutz is perfect, arms high above her head, their side-by-sides are impeccable, the spiral sends the audience into cheering when Clarke pulls herself back up into Bellamy’s arms. Then she’s up, she’s flying and spinning around his body before landing on the ice. Clarke gives an exaggerated wink to the judges and the crowd goes absolutely nuts.

They finish with a flourish, nearly toppling over with how much energy they both still have. She’s exhilarated, filled with adrenaline and she’s never felt like this before. They nailed it. No slip ups, no falls. They were perfect. Her arms go around his neck without even thinking and she’s jumps into his arms, his contagious laughter in her ear. Bellamy spins them around for a moment before planting a kiss to her cheek. Her face burns not only with exhaustion, but excitement and a bit of embarrassment. It’s a good kind of embarrassment. Bellamy sets her down on the ice quickly and takes her hand and they bow to their audience, who haven’t stopped cheering since they finished. Clarke finds her mother in the crowd and Abby gives her a thumbs up.

They’re barely off the ice before Marcus is upon them, pulling Clarke into a hug before she can fix her skates. He gives her a very large smile and then, “that was one of the best routines I’ve seen in years. Best routine you two have ever had,” and she knows that coming from Marcus Kane, who has seen _a lot_ of skating in his time, that he means it. Clarke’s eyes search for her partner. She just wants Bellamy.

They find each other again as they walk to their bullpen, his arm back around her shoulder. “Incredible,” he murmurs, “you’re absolutely incredible.”

Her face burns and her stomach clenches with pride, “not just me, y’know. You’re pretty incredible too.” She swears his cheeks turn pink.

But now that they’re sitting, waiting for their scores, her nerves return. They nailed everything. There were barely any slip ups, nothing went wrong. It the best performance they’ve had, ever. They sit and wait impatiently as the judges deliberate. Clarke’s hand reaches for Bellamy’s and he twines their fingers together tightly as they wait. Her legs shake both from the performance and the nerves. If they get as good of a score as they think they did, they could pull ahead in the competition.

And then—

149.65!

Clarke feels her mouth plummet and Marcus is shouting and Bellamy is laughing but she can’t move because 147.65! The highest score of the night! Their combined is 234.76!

Finally, a shaky laugh falls from her lips and she looks at Bellamy and his eyes are shining. He gives her a tight hug and she has to stare at the scoreboard for several more seconds to fully grasp what she’s seeing.

She and Bellamy get pulled from the Kiss and Cry for interviews for the States and they can’t help but chatter while they wait for the interviewer. Neither of them can wipe the smiles from the faces as Katie Couric appears.

They spend a couple seconds positioning the two skaters and Katie congratulates them before they’re being recorded for the United States.

“Absolutely amazing,” Katie starts and Clarke smiles, “by far the best performance we have seen from you two this year.”

Bellamy shrugs, “eh, it was alright.” Clarke snorts and elbows him in the ribs.

“This performance has definitely helped cap off an incredible experience, Clarke, as we all know it’s your first Olympics.”

Clarke nods and grins. “Oh, yeah. It was the most exhilarating moment of my life. Finishing and knowing that that was the best run. We had a little bit of trouble last night and it was good to end on a positive note, no matter how the next two teams perform.”

Katie nods and smiles, “yes, we saw the slip-ups, but it can really happen to anyone.”

Bellamy nods, “we had some trouble, obviously, but we’ve pulled through. We’re lucky we were able to start in 2nd place even with the slipups. I think we did pretty good.” Clarke rolls her eyes and Bellamy winks.

Clarke watches Katie raises a brow and says, “okay, I have to ask. The country has been buzzing about it since before the first day of competition and we are dying to know. Are you two a couple?”

Clarke feels her eyes widen automatically and she can’t find her voice to answer because she doesn’t want to answer. Bellamy’s the one that finds his voice first. “No, we aren’t. I love Clarke, I really do, but we’re partners. She’s one of my favorite people in the entire world,” he hesitates a moment, “and I’m really glad that she was the one with me on this journey. But just partners.” She can’t help but feel pretty disappointed with his answer, but nods along with him.

“I have to agree. Love him, but just as my partner. He’s the worst sometimes, but still love him.” She feels so forced saying this, because she does love Bellamy in more than a partner way.

Katie does _not_ look convinced and Clarke gets why she wouldn’t. She knows her feelings are probably pretty obvious to everyone, but maybe they’ll be able to play it off like they just really like having each other as partners. The way that they act on and off of the ice would really cause people to think differently.

Clarke shakes it off and says goodbye to Katie before Marcus pulls them both back to their bullpen. “Ontari and Roan are going now,” he tells them quietly, looking at the Germans as they sit and wait for placement as well, “and it’s going to be _very_ close. I am expecting you two to come out on top. But, we never know. Whatever happens you’re an Olympic Medalist.” Clarke nods and watches the ice from their bullpen. Silver or Gold. That’s what’s on the line.

She’s too nervous to even look at Bellamy right now, just staring at the ice, watching her competitors skate like their lives depends on it. In a way, it does. They’re intense, they’re thrilling and they’re nearly spot on. Nearly. There’s a few little trip ups that are almost miniscule, but anyone who watches figure skating would know. And when you put them together, it adds up to a lot of deducted points

The German pair watches the ice with bated breath as well. Bellamy’s hand links with hers tightly as they wait for the scores. It’s going to be very close. Her body is shaking but Bellamy keeps her steady, like he’s always done. The announcer says their names and—

149.03. Combined total of 234.13.

It takes several excruciatingly long seconds for her to realize that they’ve won. It takes the announcers saying it, the Germans congratulating her, and finally Bellamy embracing her that it gets through to her, and then she’s crying into his shoulder.

“No, hey, why are you crying!” He asks quickly and Clarke shakes her head, letting out a watery laugh. His thumbs run on her cheeks, wiping the tears back.

“I’m crying because I’m so happy you _idiot_ ,” she chokes out and he grins, lifting her up into a hug, “we won _Gold_ , Bellamy.” Elation and exhilaration fills her system and she can’t stop smiling and crying and is this what being a champion feels like? Is this what her parents felt all of those years ago?

Clarke chokes out another watery sob and Bellamy only holds her tighter, laughing as he sets her down. “We won.” She nods and pulls away from him a bit as she hears Marcus enter the area and then she’s crying all over again and there are shouts of congratulations and praise and everything that comes with it. 

* * *

 

It’s only a few hours later when Clarke’s at the medal ceremony. Her medal ceremony. She still can’t believe what happened. She’s still in shock.

Clarke stands behind the podium with Bellamy. There hasn’t been much time to talk with the interviews and the set up the medal ceremony and getting in place, but she’s so thankful that it’s him standing next to her.

She looks out into the audience and finds her mother front and center in the stands, and Wells on his crutches right next to her. Octavia stands as well, Lincoln behind her. Their team is next, not even trying to mask their jubilance. Raven keeps whooping.

Clarke stares out in shock. This is a thing that happened. She watches as the announcers announce the Bronze Medalists, the Germans, and claps politely for them, a smile still plastered onto her face. And then it’s the Silver, and she watches as Ontati and Roan get their medals and Clarke’s still in a daze because they’re next.

“Gold! The United States of America!” Her legs are unsteady but Bellamy keeps her grounded as they step up and raise their hands to the sky, together. The official comes to her first and she smiles brightly, dipping her head so the medal can be placed around her neck. She barely hears her name being called. It drops right against her dad’s necklace. She shakes hands with the official, and is then handed another heirloom that will help her remember this day forever. Like she could ever forget it.

And then she watches Bellamy get his medal and she wants to _cry_ because this is the best day of her life. She can’t wipe the smile from her face when he looks at her and she finds nothing but happiness and maybe even a little bit of love. Clarke looks down at her medal quickly and has to bit her lip to keep from crying. This is all she’s ever wanted.

“And now, the playing of the United States National Anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner!” Clarke’s hand automatically goes to her heart and she wills herself not to cry, but she knows it’s useless. The anthem starts, and oh _god_ this is the best day. She mouths the words but nothing comes out, she’s just in awe of everything that she’s seeing, and hearing. Her mother looks like she’s going to cry and Wells looks so proud and her team is making faces at them and singing along with the anthem. Her eyes well with tears as it finishes and is quickly tugged into Bellamy’s side, into a hug and she doesn’t ever want to let go.

“We did this, Clarke.” She nods proudly as he pulls back and they take a picture with their fellow medalists, shouting congratulations as they go.

Clarke doesn’t think that this day can get any better.

* * *

 

It’s only a couple hours later after even more interviews and press conferences, hugs and kisses with family and friends, and a very long ride back with Marcus jabbering about how great they were that Clarke finally gets a moment with Bellamy.

She’s exhausted but thrilled and doesn’t hesitate to find him. He’s in one of the team rooms, watching the hockey match that both Miller and Murphy are playing in. Bellamy’s face lights up into a smile and he pats the couch next to him. Clarke curls into his side and his arm snakes across her shoulder. She feels him press a kiss to her temple, but continues watching the screen.

“We won a Gold Medal today,” Clarke murmurs and she feels him nod.

“We did.”

“Do you remember when we hated each other?”

Bellamy chuckles, “I think that’s far from the case now,” Clarke nods a bit and looks up a bit at Bellamy to find him looking at her. “I gotta tell you something.”

She raises a brow. “Go for it.”

“Not here.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to,” he replies simply, standing before taking her hand to pull her up. Their hands stay linked as they walk, and Clarke tries not to get her hopes up. They’ll always had this easy affection between each other, but this somehow seems like more. He swings their hands lazily as they walk.

They pass Raven at some point and she makes an obscene gesture with her hands and Clarke’s lucky she’s the only one that saw it or she’d have to die. But, Raven grins as they pass.

Then, she realizes that they’re in Bellamy’s room. Clarke immediately falls onto his bed, giggling as he looks at her. “You sleepy?”

“I’m so sleepy, Bell. Today was a good day.” Bellamy chuckles and sits on the edge of the bed and Clarke frowns. She longs to be close to him, to feel his body against hers. They’ve never fallen asleep together, despite how much time they’ve spent together in the last year. And she so desperately wants to sleep. “C’mere,” she murmurs, motioning for the spot next to her.

Bellamy only pauses for a split second before he’s crawling up his bed and curling behind Clarke. She eases into his body and his breath hitches, but his arms come to tightly hold her. “You good?” He murmurs and she nods.

“I’m great. We won today.”

He nods. “We did,” there’s a few beats of silence and Clarke is convinced that she could fall asleep here if the light were off. “When Katie talked to us today I wasn’t entirely truthful.”

“What do you mean?” Clarke mumbles, her eyes fluttering open.

“When she asked if we were a couple.” Clarke turns abruptly in his arms, her eyes wide. Her heart pounds a bit faster, “and I said that I only loved you as a partner. I love you as much more than a partner, Clarke, and I didn’t want to say anything because it would have affected our—”

Bellamy doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Clarke’s lips find his, her fingers gripping the material of his shirt tightly, as if to prevent him from getting away. But he doesn’t even think about letting go, because he only holds her tighter, pulls her closer. Kissing Bellamy, _finally_ , is so much better than her dreams. His lips are soft and warm, and his hands are incredibly gentle as they rest on her cheek and back. His whole hand is the size of her back. It makes her heart race up.

Bellamy pulls away for a moment and their noses bump together. She can almost hear her heart beating out of her chest and she wonders if he can hear it too. She can’t stop the smile from forming as he peppers her face with kisses, ignoring the giggles that fall from her lips.

Clarke rolls so she’s straddling him and he groans, eliciting another laugh from her. His hands slide up to her ass and her lips find his again, this time with more urgency and passion. Her fingers edge at his shirt and Bellamy laughs, flipping them so he’s above of her.

His eyes shine and his smile is bright, “you are absolutely beautiful. On and off of the ice. Especially off of the ice,” Clarke flushes as he noses into her neck, sucking a line down it, “I want you.”

Her breath hitches and her fingers find the hem of his shirt, this time effectively getting it over his head. “You have me.”

The next morning, it takes Clarke several seconds to realize where she is. And then she remembers the previous night’s activities, and smiles to herself. When she rolls to face Bellamy, she finds that he’s already awake, scrolling through Twitter. “Hey,” she says quietly and he grins before dipping to kiss her lightly. Clarke smiles. “We’re all over Twitter.”

“We won Gold, I figured we would be,” Clarke replies, shifting so her head is on the pane of his chest.

“We’re in a Twitter Moment. Some of our fans seem to think that we lied and we’ve been secretly together all this time. They don’t believe that we aren’t a couple,” Clarke snorts as he pulls up a photoset of the two of them in various different places, usually touching each other in some way. In a couple of the pictures, Bellamy’s kissing the top of her head, or her cheek. “We didn’t do a very good job of hiding it,” she replies, giggling as she scroll through the picture, “we were both lovesick puppies and still didn’t do anything about it.”

“Hey! I did something about it,” he says, waggling his eyebrows as he looks at her bare body. Clarke flushes and he dips down to kiss her again.

“Oh my god we lied to Katie Couric.” And then Bellamy’s laughing, a real hearty one that makes her heart spin. “We lied to one of the top reporter’s in America, Bellamy.”

He shrugs. “She’ll get over it. When we appear on Good Morning America in a couple days we’ll spill the beans. For now, I want you to myself.”

Clarke’s about to say some witty comment about how he’s going to have to share her at some point when the door busts open. Bellamy quickly pulls the covers tightly around Clarke and she presses her face into his chest as the whooping stops abruptly. “Go away, Atom,” Bellamy says irritably and Clarke smiles into his chest.

“Hey, Atom!” She calls, her voice muffled in Bellamy’s chest.

“Oh my god, oh—I’m sorry. I’ll just—” and the door slams shut and Clarke collapses into more giggles, her body shaking against Bellamy’s.

“I think Good Morning America is gonna know sooner than you think,” she tells him and he sighs, but then his lips tug upwards into a smile. Clarke doesn’t think that it can get _any_ better than this. She’s got two Olympic medals, her parent’s love, and Bellamy.

That’s the thing, though.

It can’t get much better than this.


End file.
